Assistant Professor, Physiology and Neuroscience

Education: Dr. Norcliffe-Kaufmann received her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Durham. She received her PhD from the Institute for Cardiovascular Research at the University of Leeds in 2005. She completed her post-doctoral training at the Dysautonomia Center before joining the faculty of Physiology and Neuroscience in 2010.

Slim Jeans Jeans 026 Klein Klein Calvin Dark Hamilton Calvin Blue About Dr. Norcliffe-Kaufmann: Dr. Norcliffe-Kaufmann is the lead researcher at the Dysautonomia Center. She is responsible for planning, carrying out, and analysing experiments. She has received research funding from the British Heart Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Dysautonomia Foundation. She is a member of the American Physiological Society and a current Board Member of the American Autonomic Society.

Work: Dr. Norcliffe-Kaufmann’s research work has described the pressor effect of water as a treatment for fainting. She described the mechanisms that allow native Peruvian men to adapt to life at high altitude in the Andes and the complications that arise when these adaptations fail. She discovered how enhanced vascular responsiveness to hypocapnia makes certain people more prone to fainting. Her most recent work has focused on the autonomic phenotype of familial dysautonomia and provided the first plausible explanation for the dramatic blood pressure volatility characteristic of these patients. Dr. Norcliffe-Kaufmann is currently studying neural control and cardiovascular regulation in autonomic disorders.